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Food, family and memories are as intertwined in the South as if woven on the same thread. At any function we attend, from a party to a wedding to a funeral, we are as likely to talk as much about the food that was there, as we are about why we are gathered. ~Mary Foreman

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Saturday, February 6, 2010

A nice, spicy beef made in the crockpot with giardiniera and golden peperoncini, finished with sauteed sweet peppers, onions and provolone cheese & passed under the broiler to melt.

Spicy Crockpot Italian Beef

An Italian beef is a sandwich believed to have originated in Chicago, made of thin slices of highly seasoned beef, dripping with meat juices, and served on an Italian roll.

First, let's get this out of the way. Like all regional foods that I prepare and share here on Deep South Dish that originate from other parts of the country, this recipe is not meant to be representative of an authentic or even traditional Chicago style Italian beef in any way, shape or form. It's just a beef roast braised in broth, peppers, onions, and Italian seasonings, that makes a pretty darned good Italian Beef drip sandwich. Let's just agree to settle on calling my sandwich "inspired."

Ordered sweet or hot - sweet by topping the beef with sauteed Italian peppers or hot, using a Chicago style giardiniera - and either dry with very little juice, wet with a little juice spooned over, or dragged through the river - meaning that the entire sandwich has been dipped in the meat juices. Cheese is often included - a cheef, served with either mozzarella or provolone, or on garlic, meaning a sandwich with cheese served on bread that has been seasoned like garlic bread. Just the thought of it all makes my mouth water - maybe someday I'll make it up to Chicago for a real authentic Italian Beef.

Here I decided to include the spicy in the braise by including the giardiniera in the cooking process, with just a spoon of the juices. Reserve a little to slice up for garnish too. While the golden peperoncini are a mild, sweet pepper, the giardiniera - often called hot mix - is usually served as a garnish. It contains hot peppers such as serrano, an extremely hot chile that provides the spicy kick to this sandwich. If you don't want the heat level, just use the peperoncini or sweet bell peppers instead, or omit the peppers all together. I like to saute a little bell pepper and onion to put on the sandwiches too.

To build my sandwich, I first toasted the bread with a spread of butter and garlic, then spooned some of the juicy seasoned beef on top. If you prefer to drag your's through the river, make sure you use a good hard Italian roll that will hold up to the juices.

Add sauteed sweet peppers and onions, top with provolone cheese, and pass sandwich under the broiler just until cheese melts. Top with some additional rough chopped giardiniera if you like.

So good. These sandwiches would make a welcome addition to any party menu - just use a larger roast.

Check out more of my roast recipes on Pinterest!

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Using a skillet on the stove or the browning setting on the slow cooker, heat oil. Rub dry mix all over the roast and brown well on all sides. Remove and set aside. Add peppers and onions and cook until tender. Remove and set aside to cool. Store and reserve as a garnish for sandwiches.

Whisk together the beef broth, base and Italian seasoning until well blended. Return roast to cooker, add peperoncini, giardiniera, juice and garlic and pour broth over roast. Cover and cook on low for 10 hours.

Butter cut sides of bread and toast, if desired, in preheated 425 degrees F oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden. Remove the roast from slow cooker and let rest for 10 minutes. Pull or cut into chunks and return the meat to the crockpot juices. Keep on low until ready to serve. Warm peppers and onions. Spoon meat onto bread, top with peppers and onions, add provolone if using and place under the broiler just until melted. Top with giardiniera and serve au jus drippings from the crockpot in a ramekin for dipping, if desired.

Cook's Note: If desired, defat the juices by transferring to a fat separator before adding meat back to the slow cooker. A rump roast will slice better, but you will have to prepare roast then chill it before proceeding to get those slices.

Variation: Omit the peperoncini and giardiniera for a basic cheesesteak sandwich.

For the Oven: Prepare as above in a roasting pan or baker, except cover roast tightly and cook in a preheated 275 degree F oven for about 2 hours, or until meat is fall apart tender.

For the Electronic Pressure Cooker: Prepare as above, lock lid and pressure cook on high for 55 minutes. Let pressure release naturally, then check roast for tenderness. It should be pull apart tender; if not, return to cooker for an additional 10 minutes. Taste au jus and add salt and pepper only as needed to taste.

Material Disclosure: Unless otherwise noted, you should assume that post links to the providers of goods and services mentioned, establish an affiliate relationship and/or other material connection and that I may be compensated when you purchase from a provider. You are never under any obligation to purchase anything when using my recipes and you should always perform due diligence before buying goods or services from anyone via the Internet or offline.

I followed the exact same directions and it turned OUT PERFECT!!!!!!! The roast I had came with a turkey gravy that I tossed right on in -- hey why waist it. I and my family loved it. I also used a Horseradish Cheddar in lieu of Provolone.

I just wanted you to know that I cooked the Spicy Italian Beef for sandwiches. It was awesome, my family loved it. I changed one ingredient in the recipe, I used a chuck roast instead of a rump roast. Thank you Mary for posting this recipe! Keep up the "delicious" work!

Hi there! I often make my own homemade italian beef and I'd just like to suggest that Mezetta makes Deli-Slice Peperoncini that is excellent to use because they seeds and stems are already removed for you and they are these lovely pepper ribbons.

Hi there! I often make my own homemade italian beef and I'd just like to suggest that Mezetta makes Deli-Slice Peperoncini that is excellent to use because they seeds and stems are already removed for you and they are these lovely pepper ribbons.

Made this for the third time today. Each time is better than the last! Took a short cut this time: put it in a pressure cooker for 1 hour instead of slow cooking for 10. I then moved it into the slow cooker and did the rest as above. Came out as good as ever.

I made this for my family (minus the Italian mix) and cooked the meat in the juice from the pepperoncini (2 cups) and 1 cup of beef broth. They LOVED it. My husband told me to make that dish every other week. My oldest made toasted sandwiches, the youngest age with cooked rice, husband made a sandwich and also ate with mashed potato and peas. I actually ate it on a salad. It was delicious. Actually, I have made several of your dishes and have NEVER been disappointed.

The recipe sounds really good, but more like a Philly cheese steak sandwich than Chicago Italian beef, and I love both of them! I'll have to try this. By the way, never got a decent cheese steak until I actually went to Philadelphia, and since I'm from Chicago, I have nightmares about what they might be doing with Italian beef in other cities :-D

I do totally understand because we go through the same thing down here with our po'boys, red beans & rice, comeback sauce, gumbo, jambalaya and a whole host of other things this area of the country is known for. You wouldn't believe what some people try to pull off for those recipes! There is one gal who makes ketchup with a whole bunch of pepper and dares to call that comeback sauce. It certainly dishonors our Mississippi original!!

This is a widely used recipe for Italian style beef sandwiches - I guess it could be somewhat of a cross between the two, but I would never take on either to be honest and try to present anything close to what would be "authentic" that's for sure. I can attest to the fact that this makes a very nice sandwich though - hope you enjoy it!

I grew up in the northwest and moved to the east coast in the northwest suburbs of Chicago and moved to the east coast in the early '70s . All of the places around where I lived never used giardinara just onions and gr peppers in the jus. I loved it that way and that's the traditional way for me!

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